Settlement reached in Street suit
By GREG MOORE AND GREG STAHL
Express staff writers
A "verbal agreement" has been reached in the settlement of a
lawsuit filed by ski racer Picabo Street against Sun Valley Co. and parent company
Sinclair Oil, according to a Sun Valley executive and Street’s lawyer.
Final papers are expected to be signed by Friday, they said. The amount of
the settlement hasn’t yet been made public.
Both individuals—Sun Valley Co. general manager Wally Huffman and
attorney Kevin Evans—declined to reveal the amount of the settlement. It’s
believed they wanted Street herself to publicly announce that an agreement has been
reached, thereby avoiding protracted litigation.
Street’s suit, filed in federal court in Boise last December,
contended the resort should pay damages to her for the unauthorized use of her name in its
magazine and Internet advertising.
Print ads for the 1999-2000 winter season contained the sentence "I
carved the same slopes as Picabo Street." Street claimed the ads violated the federal
Lanham Act, which grants award of civil damages for the unauthorized use of commercial
names and symbols.
Huffman said in a telephone interview on Monday that the terms of the
settlement have been agreed to, but that the settlement documents have not yet been
signed. He said that is likely to be done Friday.
"There’s nothing I know of to preclude that from
occurring," Huffman said. "It looks like we’ve got an agreement that’s
very amicable. We’re very pleased."
Street’s lawyer, Kevin Evans of the Denver-based firm Hogan &
Hartson, said he’s also very pleased.
"I think this is in the best interest of everyone, including the
community, because if this is signed as negotiated there will be charitable contributions
made," he said.
"I can tell you that Picabo’s not making anything on this,"
he said of Street’s plans to donate the settlement.
There is speculation that Street will donate some of the settlement cash
to Sun Valley ski teams.
Neither Huffman nor Evans was willing to divulge the terms of the
settlement before Friday.
Street, 28, was born in the Wood River Valley and began her ski racing
career with the Sun Valley Ski Team. She went on to win two World Cup downhill titles and
Olympic gold and silver medals.
